Post by Ceci on Apr 21, 2007 21:37:05 GMT -5
Respectfully, I disagree with the assessments about the Don Imus story. It is not an old issue in my point of view. There are clear reasons why I think what Don Imus said was pretty derogatory in nature.
1)Mr. Imus directed his comments toward a group of young women he didn't know. With that being said, he called them 'nappy-headed ho's' without a sense of conscience or empathy over how they might feel.
2)As a public figure, if he refers to persons of color "as nappy headed ho's" without any criticism against it, then other people will think it is all right to use this derogatory language to describe other non-white people this way.
3)Mr. Imus has demonstrated a pattern of saying derogatory things against non-white people and has been called out for it before. With that being said, I don't think his words could be passed off "as a joke" when he has a predilection to say these things in passing on some of his shows. Although the Freedom of Speech is guaranteed for all Americans, it still doesn't allow someone to use language in such a way to cause "injury" to others--especially when it has to do with comments that denigrate their cultural heritage and upbringing.
4)Mr. Imus did not fully take into account of his audience. It might be assumed that his audience is mainly targeted to other members of the dominant culture. However, knowing that his show was widely seen and heard, common sense dictates that part of that audience consists of non-white people. As a result, he should have been more cognizant about some of his listeners. But instead, he projected his own attitudes upon them without engaging in much thought about them.
Just my .02.
1)Mr. Imus directed his comments toward a group of young women he didn't know. With that being said, he called them 'nappy-headed ho's' without a sense of conscience or empathy over how they might feel.
2)As a public figure, if he refers to persons of color "as nappy headed ho's" without any criticism against it, then other people will think it is all right to use this derogatory language to describe other non-white people this way.
3)Mr. Imus has demonstrated a pattern of saying derogatory things against non-white people and has been called out for it before. With that being said, I don't think his words could be passed off "as a joke" when he has a predilection to say these things in passing on some of his shows. Although the Freedom of Speech is guaranteed for all Americans, it still doesn't allow someone to use language in such a way to cause "injury" to others--especially when it has to do with comments that denigrate their cultural heritage and upbringing.
4)Mr. Imus did not fully take into account of his audience. It might be assumed that his audience is mainly targeted to other members of the dominant culture. However, knowing that his show was widely seen and heard, common sense dictates that part of that audience consists of non-white people. As a result, he should have been more cognizant about some of his listeners. But instead, he projected his own attitudes upon them without engaging in much thought about them.
Just my .02.